In the Beginning
by shadow1alphalite
Summary: When Chiro is kidnapped, the Monkey Team needs the help of a Zonian shaman named Shadow and her twin brother Max to get him back. Finally changed chapter format; keeping posted for motivational reasons.
1. Monkeys and Alphalites

Shadow sat in quiet contemplation, wondering if the feeling inside her was worth any thought. The shaman knew quite well that she had the power to see everything that happened in the land of Zonia, but this vision was ominous. Then again, most of her visions were ominous.

On the Real World Cable Network (RWCN), a new cartoon had been added to Toon Disney about a boy and five cyborg monkeys. Shadow hadn't really taken any mind of the show; it was just another depiction of a dimension light years away from Zonia, but she knew it existed. She found herself, however, curious about the boy in the city called Shuggazoom. From what she had seen, he was about fourteen years of age and medium in height with black hair, strong arms and legs, and remarkably blue eyes. Shadow became curious and investigated further to find that his name was Chiro. He was the leader of the Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce in Shuggazoom City. The boy apparently was a lot more than Shadow first assumed; his worth immeasurable.

That was most likely the reason he had been kidnapped by the Ultimate Evil of Zonia. Shadow knew this because of the vision she had received. At that very moment, Chiro was being held captive on Evil Island.

The shaman did not know very much about the boy, so she resorted back to the pilot episode of his show. It didn't tell her much. She could only rely on the information given her by the vision. And if her vision was right, the monkeys back in Shuggazoom City would soon notice Chiro's absence.

At the moment, there were only seven beings in the Shadow Lair. The dirt walls of the underground lair absorbed all sounds, and Shadow felt very alone sitting in the main entrance room; the kitchen to her left, the giant computer to her right, the door that led to the small beach entryway in front of her, the door leading to the hospital beside her.

"Shadow?" a soft male voice called from the hospital. A boy entered the room; like Shadow, he had reddish-brown hair, hazel eyes, a light complexion, freckles, and glasses. If it wasn't for Shadow's feminine features, the two would have looked exactly identical. The boy was dressed in a white robe exactly like Shadow's and carried a staff in his hand. Shadow's staff lay against the cot she sat on. The boy crossed the room and collapsed on the cot across from her.

"You still alive?" he joked.

"Last I checked," Shadow replied.

"Have you gotten any more visions of the boy?"

"No. Has Carew?"

"No."

"How are the alphalites coping?"

"They're still alive," the boy shrugged.

Shadow sat back. "Good to hear, after all that they've been through."  
"And it's safe to assume that you're not gonna tell me what happened to them, right?" the boy shot back.

This time, Shadow shrugged. "Of course I'll tell you, Max. How could I keep a secret from my twin?"

Max eyed Shadow slyly. "You couldn't. We've got a 'cosmic connection.'" He chuckled. "A 'freaky twin thing.'"

Shadow thrust her thumb over her shoulder in the direction of the room behind her where the five alphalites were. "Those five poor creatures have a rather depressing past."

"I think I can handle it," Max said, folding his arms across his chest.

"Do you remember the Elemental Shower that happened last year?" Shadow asked.

"You mean the meteor shower when large raindrops, stars, fireballs, leaves, and Faeries-know-what fell from the sky?" Max clarified. "Sure, I remember it! All of Zonia remembers it!"

"Well, those creatures in there," Shadow explained, jabbing her thumb again, "use to be the objects in the Elemental Shower."

Max did not grasp what his sister was saying. "What?"

"Those distressed monkey-like creatures in my hospital right now used to be the leaves, raindrops, stars, and fireballs that fell from the sky during the Elemental Shower!"

Finally, Max understood. His eyes grew wide. "For such a shower to take place would take a great deal of magic! And then there's the metamorphosis…"

"Slave traders caught wind," Shadow continued, "of small monkey creatures with tall pointed ears, two antennas, long tails, white muzzles, almond-or oval-shaped eyes, wings, and rainbow-colored fur were running around the islands and forests of Zonia. Immediately, they set to work capturing the alphalites. Five of them were: Celeste, alphalite of Air; Trent, alphalite of Earth; Marina, alphalite of Water; Jasper, alphalite of Fire; and Carew, alphalite of the supernatural. These five are now dreaming restless dreams in my hospital. They were captured and taken to a slave institution to be trained and sold. However, a month later I learned of what was happening and went to the institution, disguised as a slave buyer. I 'bought' the five and brought them back here. Then, I set them free."

"What about the other alphalites back in the institution?" Max asked worriedly.

"They have all been freed," Shadow answered. "However, the small band of alphalites I freed first, the _'Unity Alphalites'_, insist they stay here for a little while. So, I consented."

"And Chiro was kidnapped a week later?" Max finished.

Shadow nodded sullenly. "Exactly."

"Have the Super Robot Monkeys contacted us yet?"

"They don't know where Chiro is, but they're about to find out. I will need some help from Marina."


	2. Contacting the Monkeys

CHAPTER TWO

CONTACTING THE MONKEYS

"Are you sure the scanner is right, Gibson?" the yellow monkey asked tensely. Her troubled pink eyes stared at the Super Robot's computer.

The blue monkey, called Gibson, replied in a distinguished accent, "Yes Nova, I'm sure. I've checked ten times already! He's not within radar scan."

"Well, try boosting the frequency!" the red monkey said. He was pacing back and forth in front of the computer like a worried father.

Gibson sighed patiently. "I already did, Sprx. The frequency is as high as it can go. The long-range scanner is at its max. Chiro is not within radar. I'm beginning to think that he's not even in this universe!"

"Well, if he's not in _this_ universe," Nova said, "which universe is he in?"

Gibson's black eyes were sad. "I don't know." He backed away from the computer and turned around to face the black monkey floating meditatively in mid-air. His eyes were closed. "Any sign of him, Antauri?"

Antauri did not respond. The other four monkeys could sense his intense concentration. Finally, he opened his eyes. "No. I am unable to locate Chiro with the Power Primate." He floated down to the metal floor and stood.

The green monkey faced the computer. "Where are you, Chiro?"

Sprx laid a mechanical hand on his arm gently. "Don't worry, Otto; we'll find him."

As if on cue, the Super Robot's command center filled with mist, fogging over the giant computer screen. The monkeys' eyes darted around the room, trying to find the source of the fog.

"What the…?" Nova was barely able to exclaim.

Otto suddenly gasped, pointing at the computer screen. "Look!"

Everyone looked. Words were appearing on the dewy screen like an invisible hand was writing on a foggy window. The words were scrawled carefully.

"'I know where Chiro is,'" Gibson read slowly.

It took a moment for the sentence to sink in.

"Chiro!" everyone uttered at once. But already the message was being added to.

"'If you understand, please write back,'" Antauri continued.

Everyone stood in an odd silence.

At long last, Otto asked, "So…what do we write?"  
Antauri suddenly activated his jet pack and flew up under the message. He extended his index finger and wrote, "Who are you?"

Nova read the response. "'My name is not important. Know that I am a friend. Details will be revealed soon enough.'" Her brow furrowed in thought.

As she flew up to the message, Sprx muttered, "I don't like this. How do we know we can trust this person?"

"It doesn't matter," Nova said abruptly, finishing her statement on the screen. "All that matters is that we find Chiro." Her message was simple: "Where is Chiro?"  
"'He is in my world,'" Antauri read, "'trapped by my evil foe on an island not far from my lair. I'm planning a rescue as we speak, a rescue I hope will be carried out as soon as possible.'"

Gibson's question was, "'How do you know all this?'"

Sprx skeptically read the answer. "'I have sources.' This is crazy!"

"Actually, I agree," Gibson said. "We don't even know who this entity is! What if it's Skeleton King?"

Antauri replied quietly, "I don't know why, but I sense that this mysterious person means us no harm, nor Chiro. These messages were not written by Skeleton King, I can sense it."

No one doubted his word. The message was being added to.

"'He is badly hurt,'" Nova continued. "'He needs medical attention right away, which I can provide. I will contact you again to tell if the rescue was successful or not.'"

"'We want to help!'" Otto wrote frantically.

There was a hint of gentleness in the reply. "'I know you do, but I know my enemy and my world, which you do not. My enemy wants you to rescue Chiro so he can capture you as well. With the entire Monkey Team gone, Shuggazoom City would be at the mercy of Skeleton King. Let me help you. Let me help Chiro!'"

Sprx scrawled angrily. "'No way! We're gonna help you get the kid back! There's no way you could do it alone. The kid needs us, and we're not just gonna sit on the sidelines while Chiro is rescued by a complete stranger!'"

There was another pause.

"'You have swayed me,'" Antauri read. "'You are quite the motivational speaker, SPRX-77. Very well. Stand in a circle, and you will be transported to Zonia.'"

"Ha!" Sprx shouted triumphantly. "Ya see that? I'm a motivational speaker!"

"Oh shut up Sprx and get over here," Nova ordered. Sprx obeyed silently, completely the circle.

Color, light, and sound swirled around the five as they were transported through time and space to another dimension. They gripped each other's hands to keep from whirling off into the abyss. The ride was quick, and they soon found themselves standing in the middle of a sunny meadow. Fragrant flowers covered the ground; around three sides of the meadow island were pines and a forest on the other end from them. The side on their left revealed a jagged cliff and a rocky island in the distance. In the center of the meadow was a magnificent oak tree. Most amazing about it was the magic of all four Realms of Nature encircling it like a protective shield.

The monkeys lost their breath as they stared in awe at the meadow. Suddenly, they noticed a figure running towards them from the cliff. As the figure approached the cyborg monkeys saw that she was a medium-sized girl with reddish-brown hair, hazel eyes, a light complexion, freckles, and glasses. She wore a white Druid robe and carried a staff topped with a glowing white orb. The girl stopped dead of them, grinning mysteriously.

"I am the person that contacted you a few moments ago," she explained. "I am Shadow, High Shaman of Zonia. Welcome, Monkey Team, to the Meadow of Good. Welcome to Zonia."


	3. The Plan

CHAPTER THREE

THE PLAN

"So, let me make sure I got this right," Sprx said. "Our world is a TV series on your network, and the Ultimate Evil of Zonia saw it, captured Chiro so we would go get him, then capture us and help Skeleton King invade Shuggazoom City?"

Shadow nodded behind her mug of tea. "Pretty much."

Gibson was inspecting the Shadow Lair computer while Antauri was looking at the potion bottles lining the shelves on the wall. Otto was busy in the small kitchen. Nova was exploring. Sprx was interrogating Shadow.

"And you two are twins?" Sprx said, pointing at Shadow and Max.

Max and Shadow both nodded, speaking together. "Pretty much."

Sprx sat in silence, absorbing all this information. "And that rocky island out there," he motioned in the direction of the sea, "is where Chiro is right now?"

"Evil Island, yes," Shadow answered.

"And you plan to get there by running on the clouds above the sea?" Sprx repeated.

"Yep."

"And that oak tree up on the Meadow of Good is the Grand Oak that keeps Zonia's magic alive and thriving?"

"Yep."

"And this entire dimension has absolutely no human adults in it, and the kids live forever as kids?"

"Yep."

"And you plan to rescue Chiro alone?"

"Yep."

"And in this dimension, pigs can fly?"

"Yep."

"The last one was a joke."

"I know."

Sprx sat in silence again. Suddenly, he chuckled. "Man, this place is weird."

"No, really?" Shadow shot back sarcastically. "What was your first clue?"

"You and Max being twins," Sprx joked.

Shadow laughed. "Of course! Isn't that weird, Max?"

"Absolutely," Max replied. "And flying pigs are normal."

"I have a question," Gibson said, turning around to face the group. "How are you and Max able to understand our Primate Tongue?"  
"The gift of gab." Max laughed.

Nova entered from the hospital, confusion all over her face. "What are those things in the hospital?"

"Alphalites," Shadow explained. "They're my 'patients.'" She then gave a brief history of the five alphalites.

Quiet thought followed her words.

Otto came out of the kitchen, his belly slightly bigger. "I was just wondering…why do you want to help Chiro? You don't even know him."

"No…," Shadow stared off into space, "…but I hope to. Besides, Chiro is a good kid, and he's in trouble. He helps people, and now it's time that I return the favor."

"What do you plan to do?" Antauri asked.

Shadow sat back. "I plan to move when the time is right."

Nova was shocked. "You mean just sit here and wait? No! Chiro needs us now!" She turned to her team. "I say we go into Evil Island and get him out."

"I'm with Nova," Sprx declared. "You even said so yourself, Shadow; he's in trouble, and he needs help."

"Aye, I did," Shadow nodded, "but now is not the time."

Otto was willing to be lenient. "You can stay here Shadow, if you don't want to go."

Shadow was quiet for a moment, thinking. Finally, she said carefully, "Very well, I'll stay. When you bring Chiro back…," she refrained from saying "if," "…I'll mend his wounds."

"Fair enough," Gibson agreed.

As the Hyperforce prepared to leave, five beings entered from the hospital.

"We were listening," the dark green Earth Alphalite with light green eyes said shortly. He shrugged.

"If the Hyperforce will go to the boy," the black Air Alphalite with purple eyes declared in a soft, harmonious voice, "then we Unity Alphalites will stay with the Honorable Shadow and Max."

Shadow smiled. "That's very nice of you five. Stay as long as you wish. Jasper, stay out of my potions."

The red Fire Alphalite with gold eyes said innocently, "I was just seeing if you had a Fire-in-a-Jar." He backed away from the shelves.

Antauri observed the alphalites calmly. "I don't believe we've met."

"No, we haven't," the Earth Alphalite said. "I'm Trent."

"I am Celeste," the Air Alphalite explained.

"Hiya! I'm Jasper!" the Fire Alphalite declared exuberantly.

"And my name is Marina," a light blue Water Alphalite with dark blue eyes said in a gently, rhythmic voice like waves on the beach.

"I am called Carew," a dark purple Supernatural Alphalite with black eyes told them quietly.

Sprx couldn't smother his confusion. "You're a guy, but you're purple…"

"The color of the Supernatural Realm in Zonia is purple," Carew interrupted flatly. "And I do not have a choice in what my color is. I was…," he hesitated uncertainly, "_born_ this way." His eyes darted to the floor.

"Very well," Antauri intervened. "Monkey Team, let's get Chiro. Monkeys, mobilize!"


	4. An Ignored Warning

CHAPTER FOUR

AN IGNORED WARNING

Shadow told the Hyperforce how to get into Evil Island and warned them against traps but left it at that. The five quietly flew to the island over the ocean and landed in front of a large, black, iron building. Shadow had told them the halls and rooms of the building (primarily the dungeons) were deep beneath the surface of the rock.

"The Ultimate Evil likes dark places," Shadow had said.

The Black Building was swarming with guards skilled in Dark Magic.

"Be very careful how you approach them," was Shadow's warning. "If a large group is crowded near one of the entries, they're bound to be hiding something down that passage…hopefully Chiro."

The Hyperforce took her advice and scanned all the entryways for the densest group of guards.

"There!" Nova whispered suddenly, pointing. "Near the west wing, up on the deck!" It was true; about 20 guards were patrolling the deck in front of the entryway.

"Do you think maybe Chiro is passed the door?" Otto questioned quietly.

Gibson activated his jet pack. "We're going to find out."

All was quiet on the deck. The guards were practically being lulled to sleep by the sound of the waves crashing against the cliffs encompassing Evil Island. They leaned on their swords idly.

"When do we switch shifts?" one asked his fellow.

The second guard looked at his watch. "Two more hours."

The first guard groaned. "I hate day shifts. Nothing happens."

Suddenly, two streaks of red and green whizzed passed them.

"What the hey was that!" the second guard yelled, suddenly alert.

Sprx and Otto came to a hover above the confused guards.

"Hey, Rocks-for-Brains!" Sprx yelled. "Up here!"

The guards looked up. Both monkeys activated their Transformers.

"I've seen more alert space asteroids!" Sprx jeered loudly, carefully aiming his magnets at the center of the guards. He wondered how much damage a Magnoball Blazer would cause.

"It's two of the monkeys!" a guard yelled.

"Get them!" another commanded.

There was immediate chaos as the guards chased after Otto and Sprx. While distracted, the other three monkeys quietly crept through the now un-guarded door and disappeared in the dark of the passage. Distantly, they heard a familiar voice shout "Magnoball Blazer!" followed by several cries of terror and pain. The three continued to follow the darkness of the path, a darkness that seemed absolutely endless. Antauri, Nova, and Gibson stayed close to each other to keep from straying into trouble. The passage descended down into the island as far away from sunlight as possible.

"Strange," said Gibson suddenly. "We haven't met any guards. Where are they?"

Nova chuckled quietly. "They're all probably up on the deck beating the circuits out of Otto and Sprx!" Deep down she knew this wasn't true.

Antauri voiced this concern. "No. Shadow warned us against this."

"Should we go back?" Nova asked worriedly.

Shaking his head, Antauri replied, "We are in the island now. We should carry on, but heed Shadow's warnings."

The passage went on in an incline for several minutes. The only lights so far down were magical blue flames hovering next to the walls. It smothered the hallway in eerie, deathly light.

"This foreboding light," Gibson murmured gravely, "must be a color signal that the dungeons—and impending doom—are not far off."

Nova spoke fearfully. "Antauri…what do you think they're doing…?"

"I could never possibly know, and dare not guess." Antauri's deep voice was heavy with worry.

Gibson sensed Nova's next question. "I doubt they would have reason to kill him, seeing as how he's valuable…"

"Yeah, but do _they_ know that?" Nova interrupted.

"Why else would they want him?" Gibson replied. "They obviously believe he has some worth."

Their conversation was cut short by the sight of a door ahead of them. Cautiously, they edged up to it and peered around it. It was dark inside the room, but they could see crates and cages stacked up on one another to create teetering towers of containers. They were pushed against the walls around the room. The floor was littered with rope, chains, gags, and—the monkeys gulped—torture devices.

Suddenly, they heard someone coming down the hall behind them. All three whirled around and activated their Transformers.

"Monkey Team, prepare to attack!" Antauri ordered.

A familiar voice called uncertainly out of the dark passage. "Antauri?"

"Otto?" Nova answered softly.

Out of the darkness came Otto and Sprx. They were burned a little, but grinned in triumph.

"Those guards didn't know what hit 'em," Sprx announced proudly.

He and Otto noticed the room behind the others.

"What's in there?" Otto asked tensely.

"We didn't look yet," Gibson explained quietly.  
All five monkeys gathered around the doorway. They jumped when a soft moan came from within. Everyone fell silent as the moan died away, echoing off the walls into silence.

"What was that?" Nova murmured.

No one answered. No one knew. There was another moan.

Antauri's eyes were wide. "I sense the Power Primate in there…"

Their feet understood before their brains; they were in the room instantly.

"Chiro!" Otto called softly. He turned over a piece of cloth.

Everyone searched in vain, but the moaning had ceased. They all silently agreed they weren't hearing things.

"Hello?" called Sprx uncertainly. "Anyone there?"

There was a long pause. Then from the darkness, a familiar voice called agonizingly, "Monkey Team!"

Helmet lights were activated. The lights danced frantically over the walls and floor, searching…

Nova gasped. "I found him!" Her light remained stationary on a spot against the middle of the far wall. Sitting in her spotlight was a very torn-up and weary Chiro.

As the monkeys began to advance, Chiro called out, "No…don't…it's a trap…!"

They stopped, but of course it was too late: lights went on everywhere, blinding them. Blinking rapidly, they looked around to find the source. All eyes fell on a black figure standing in the doorway. The figure was neither living nor dead, animal nor plant; it wasn't Skeleton King, but the figure oozed evil all the same. It had no form, no good, no light, no purpose except to keep the balance between good and evil.

"The Ultimate Evil!" the monkeys breathed.

The room was suddenly very cold as the Ultimate Evil floated into the room slowly. Its voice did not reveal the gender of the formless mass of blackness, for it was neither male nor female. _"The Monkey Team. I've heard a great deal about you from my present accomplice. I'm sure you know him. Skeleton King?"_ It paused a moment. If it had a face, it would have sneered at them. _"Of course you do."_ It came closer to them. _"When I _acquired_ Chiro, I found myself in quite a predicament. I could not decide what to do with him. At first, I thought to kill him, but then I thought, 'No. That would be a terrible waste of power.'" It lifted two long billowing things that resembled arms. "Look at me! I have no form! No life! Nothing to feed upon! So I thought to possess the boy. It would give me a body, a form, a life…but alas, when I tried, I found he was too pure of heart to possess. And then the Skeleton King made an offer to me. 'Capture the Monkey Team and do as you will with them. Then, I will finally be able to invade Shuggazoom City!' I believed in his infinite wisdom and agreed with this. Now, you're all mine!"_

The Ultimate Evil suddenly advanced on the monkeys. They scattered, activating their Transformers. Spreading out in a circle around it, they attacked it. It merely laughed raucously at them.

_"Do you think your weapons can affect me!"_ it bellowed. The Ultimate Evil then swung around to face Otto. It spoke hungrily. _"Do you know how it feels to be starving, green one? To eat but not be filled!"_

It came closer. Otto backed up against the wall, hurling his saws at the creature only for his attacks to phase through it and hit the opposite wall. Gibson and Sprx came up behind it and both began to attack it, but it was no good. Its sights were set on Otto. Over against the wall, Chiro was struggling against the chains fastened around his arms; Nova, Sprx, and Gibson continued to attack the Ultimate Evil to no avail; Otto was forced flat against the wall as his adversary came closer and closer. Suddenly, one of its formless arms wrapped around Otto's torso, slowly consuming him in blackness. He yelled in pain.

The Ultimate Evil sighed blissfully. _"Ah, a pure heart…finally I will be filled…!"_

Antauri abruptly lunged at its arm with his ghost claws. Everyone else was unable to touch the formless mass, but Antauri's claws gripped its arm. He shut his eyes tight and concentrated; the Power Primate suddenly flowed through the Ultimate Evil's arm into it. Screaming, it released Otto and staggered backward. The green glow didn't last long, though; soon, the Ultimate Evil recovered, wheezing angrily. Otto gasped and collapsed on the floor. Antauri rushed to his side and helped him up.

"Let Chiro go!" Antauri commanded the Ultimate Evil.

Somehow, the Ultimate Evil seemed bigger. Again, it laughed at the monkeys. _"Let him go! Why would I do that? I may not be able to possess him, but his power…it's _delicious_...!"_

It loomed over Otto and Antauri; Otto struggled to remain conscious. The other three monkeys came around the Ultimate Evil and stood protectively in front of Otto and Antauri. However, the Ultimate Evil did not stop.

_"The green one…,"_ it paused, speaking more to itself, _"…it was a quick meal, but his pure heart is so filling… I feel more powerful…" _It swung around to each individual monkey, once again ravenous. _"You _all_ have pure hearts…MORE POWER…!"_

"NO!" Chiro suddenly yelled from the wall. He staggered slightly as he tried to stand. "Leave them alone!"

_"I MUST EAT!"_ the Ultimate Evil yelled, advancing on Sprx.

"Then take me!" Chiro shouted. "Just leave them alone! MONKEY TEAM, RUN!" They all began to object, but he yelled again, "Please, run!"

Antauri hesitated, but seeing the Ultimate Evil ready to lung at Sprx he said, "You heard him! Monkey Team, fall back!"

Nova and Antauri supporting Otto, they activated their jet packs and flew out of the Black Building, leaving Chiro behind. An angry scream emitted from the Ultimate Evil as they flew up out of the building and away to the Meadow of Good.

Each monkey despaired; they had failed to get Chiro out of the Black Building.


	5. Shadows Can Feel

CHAPTER FIVE

SHADOWS CAN FEEL

"Don't you dare say, 'I told you so'!" Sprx said angrily to Shadow.

Shadow calmly tended to Otto, who lay on a cot under the shelves of potions. "I don't believe I have to." She placed a gentle hand on Otto's arm as he tried to sit up. He lay back down. "I can't heal you because there's nothing to heal. Rest now and your strength will return." The shaman then turned to the others. They sat in an upset circle around the main entrance room in the Shadow Lair. The alphalites stood near the hospital door, watching in silence. "I gave you my warning. It wasn't the right time. Now, if you try again, I'll have to call you very foolish."

"When?" asked Antauri gravely. "When do you plan to attack?"

Sitting down in a chair next to Otto's cot, Shadow explained carefully, "Tonight is a celebration night. The guards will leave the Evil Island to go join in the festivities. That's when I plan to make my move."

"We'll go with you," Nova said, standing.

"No," Shadow replied stoutly, for the first time with an air of anger. "You won't." She then stood and departed from the Shadow Lair. Before leaving, she turned at the door and said quietly, "If you wish to leave, Max will give you a transportation crystal."

The Hyperforce agreed they didn't want to leave.

"Very well," Shadow said. "Stay here." Then she left.

Gibson stood and began to pace. "I do not like her ways. She's too mysterious, too sly. I have a feeling she doesn't tell us everything. Why?"

Max came in from the kitchen with food. He set it down on the floor in the middle of the circle and sat down in Shadow's chair. "I know Shadow can be a bit untrusting with information, but she has her ways. Sometimes she doesn't tell _me_ stuff, and it's frustrating not knowing. But it all turns out all right in the end."

"But a life is in the balance!" Gibson objected, frustrated. "Chiro's life!"

In reply, Max shook his head. "Chiro can't die. No one can die in this realm."

"Still, Chiro can be hurt," Sprx challenged. "We saw him." He hung his head at the memory. "He was hurt…he was in trouble…and we just left him there…"

"I know, Sprx," Antauri said soothingly, "but he told us to leave."

Angry, Sprx jumped up and yelled, "Why won't she let us help! Is she too proud? Too high on her chair? Too _off her rocker!"_

Max watched Sprx's angry parade around the room calmly. "She's too protective. As long as I've known her, she's been a solo flyer."

Jasper (the alphalite of Fire) was confused. "'As long as you've know her'?"

"Yes." Max looked at the floor. "A while ago, _I_ used to be the Ultimate Evil." Everyone gasped, but Max talked over them. "I was one of the Ultimate Evil's victims, a pure soul it possessed and fed on. Shadow saw me in there beneath all that evil and freed me. We didn't even know we were fraternal twins until that moment.

"Shadow has introduced me to many of her friends from different dimensions. She taught me the ways of the Druid. When everyone else didn't trust me, she did and eventually convinced them I was good. Then, they finally accepted me as king."

"Wait, hold up!" Sprx held up a hand. "'_King'?"_

Max laughed. "Yes; Shadow used to be Queen of Zonia. When I came along, I became King. However, we retired last summer. Now Shadow is just a shaman and I'm a Firebender-in-training."

"You said she was too protective," Antauri remembered. He was meditating in mid-air, as usual.

Max nodded. "Yep, she is; of all her friends and patients. Whenever she goes out on a mission to rescue someone, she never takes someone with her because she's afraid they'll get hurt…they always do." His eyes darted to the floor.

"How's that?" Gibson wanted to know. "Can't they fight?"

"Oh, sure," Max answered. "All her friends are pretty good fighters. However, she encounters the Ultimate Evil a lot. She's the only one who's been able to walk away from it unscathed. While everyone else has gotten their life source sucked dry, hers always recovers within a few seconds."

"How?" Otto asked huskily, sitting up carefully.

Max pulled off his glasses and cleaned them on his tunic. "She's immortal in this realm. Her real life source is in the Real World." He replaced his glasses on his nose, observing his audience sadly. "In this dimension, not only can not she die, but she also can't feel. She can't eat, drink, or feel pain. The Ultimate Evil can't, either. So instead of hurting her _physically_, the Ultimate Evil hurts her friends; it hurts her _emotionally_."

"So that would explain why she remains emotionally unattached to anyone," Gibson realized.

"Exactly." Max picked up an apple from the plate on the floor and ate it. Otto reached for the plate weakly; Max handed him some grapes. To Gibson, he said, "She fears hurting the ones she loves. And _that_ is why she won't take you with her. Don't think it's because she thinks you're took weak or too dumb or too _anything_; she just doesn't want you to get hurt."

The sun outside the lair slowly sank down below the waves, washing the sky in vibrant hues of yellow, orange, red, green, blue, and purple. Above the lair, the Meadow was slowly becoming more active as elves, fairies, leprechauns, human Zonians, and the like came out from their houses and began to celebrate and dance. Lively music soon filled the air.

Antauri meditated on the sandy cave entrance to the Shadow Lair. Looking out over the waters, he saw many different life forms preparing for the night. Colorful fish skimmed the surface; every now and again, a mermaid would slide up onto a rock out in the distance. The Water Alphalite Marina had gone for a swim.

"The silence is too much," she had said simply to Antauri's questioning look.

There was a rhythmic, magical pushing and pulling in the tides. Antauri felt life pulsating in the ground beneath him, the waves in front of him, the rock above him, the sky over his head…

"Nerve-wrecking, isn't it?" a voice said behind him. He turned and saw Celeste the Air Alphalite slowly walk up and stand beside him. She looked up. "The sky is so beautiful at sunset, when the sky fairies bring out their brushes and paint it like a canvas." Celeste paused, glancing at Antauri briefly. "I've never even met the boy, and yet I have an idea of what he's like."

Antauri, startled, stared at Celeste in silence.

She continued. "I've heard what you five have been saying about him. He sounds like a wonderful kid." Looking down at the sand, she spoke quietly. "I never trusted humans until I met Max and Shadow. I thought they were all evil and couldn't be trusted." She looked up again at Antauri, grinning weakly. "But by listening to how proudly you talk about Chiro, I now believe otherwise."

Antauri searched Celeste's eyes for some deeper meaning. He was surprised by how much wisdom and depth was held in her eyes…how much pain. She seemed less youthful than the other alphalites, less innocent. The black simian wondered what horrible experience had taken that innocence…

Celeste, in turn, was doing the same to Antauri. His bright yellow eyes held immense wisdom and understanding of how the world functioned and flowed. He was a teacher, she could tell. Also, she sensed a power within him she did not recognize.

They both stood in silence, looking out at the horizon, lost in their own thoughts.

It was late in the evening. After much coaxing, Max was finally able to convince the Hyperforce to sleep. They curled up on cots in the hospital, but no one slept much. Their minds were on other things…

Sometime very early in the morning, Shadow quietly crept into the main entrance room. She supported a weak and injured black-haired boy on her arm. Carefully, she helped him onto a cot against the wall opposite the door leading to the hospital. Chiro closed his eyes, wincing silently. Shadow quietly pulled down several jars and potion ingredients from the potions shelf, bringing them over to Chiro and setting them down on the floor next to him. She fetched a wooden bowl from the kitchen and some water; she tossed a pitch of various herbs, a live spark from a fire she concocted from thin air, a mermaid scale, and a piece of cloud into the bowl. Then, she poured in some water and mixed the ingredients together until they massed into a greenish liquid. Shadow carefully brought the bowl to Chiro's lips.

"Dreamless sleep will be a welcome friend to you," she murmured, helping him drink. In a few moments, Chiro was sound asleep. Once he was asleep, she started to mend his wounds by smearing a blue paste on the open wounds. The blue paste worked quickly, repairing the torn flesh. Shadow wrapped bandages around his injuries while the Healing Paste did its work. She was finished within a half hour. When she finished, Shadow walked over to her chair and collapsed in it. The monkeys would wake up tomorrow and demand to know Chiro's status, and Shadow would let them see him even though he would be unconscious. He would wake up in a day or two.

Many treacherous roads laid ahead for the Hyperforce. Zonia didn't welcome them with open arms at first. Their adventures would truly test their loyalty to each other. Shadow became a close friend of the Hyperforce, as many others have.

When she gave advice, they didn't doubt her word anymore.

End

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_OK, so there's my first fanfic posted to the Interwebz. I finally updated it, separating the chapters so it's not so dang long (took me six years to do it, but eh, oh well). I apologize for its crap-tastic-ness...the only reason why I'm not deleting it (though I'd really like to) is to keep it here as a reminder to myself of how far I have come. If you've read it this far, thank you for your patience--it's an old story, but you can review it if you want to. I can always use constructive criticism._

_Peace out, monkeh lovers!_


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